My Forever Valentine
by iloveromance
Summary: After confessing their love for one another on Valentine's Day, Niles and Daphne make up for so many years of loving each other from afar, despite their commitments to others. An extremely romantic expansion/rewrite of an older story entitled "A Valentine's Day Surprise" by Genevieve Thibeault. Rating is for some mature themes.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: This was originally supposed to be a continuation of the wonderful story "A Valentine's Day Surprise" by Genevieve Thibeault, but it turned out to be much longer than I intended. In my attempt to create a bit of back story, I have in a sense rewritten her story in my own words so that it would flow a little better. Since I wasn't able to contact the author for "permission" to use her story, I highly recommend her story and reviewing. And as always, thanks for reading and for your comments!**_

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As I held Niles in my arms, I couldn't help but smile at his astounded look. I admit that I'd been pretty bold in planning such an elaborate surprise, asking him to meet me at _Le Cigar Volante,_ but I simply had to make my feelings for him known.

I was never any good at that sort of thing. But I'd never really had that much practice. Usually it was the man who confessed first. I'd never known a man who loved me but was afraid to tell me, and the mere thought that someone would be so afraid to express their feelings was beyond me.

But then again, I'd never known a man like Niles Crane, and I doubted that I ever would. He was the most perfect, wonderful man and I loved him so much.

Sure he was particular, snobbish and his tastes for wine, opera and caviar were worlds away from my preferences for English tea and Billy Joel. But there was something about him that made my heart melt whenever I thought about him.

Perhaps it was the way he looked at me or how he was always noticing things about me that others don't. Like my hair or my clothes or my perfume. God knows that Donny never noticed those things and I'm starting to think that he never would.

So why was I so attracted to such a workaholic, uninteresting man? Maybe I liked the idea of being in love with someone knowing that he was in love with me.

Donny was sweet, there was no denying that. He was a complete gentleman and knew how to treat me with respect.

That is, until his cell phone rang. It seems that people who were potential divorce cases demanded more attention than fiancés did.

What an ironic thought.

But sadly it was all too true. I can't even begin to count the number of times Donny has left me alone in favor of some extremely important case.

Boy, am I glad he's gone! I can't say that I was upset when he tore into me that night. I'd never seen him quite so angry. You'd think that he'd be used to hearing stories about how women yelled out the name of another man while making love to their husband-or in this case, fiancé.

I guess Donny just never expected it to happen to him, nor that I would be the one who was guilty of that crime. And I'm almost positive that he never expected the name to be that of his former client, Niles Crane.

As relived as I am that Donny is no longer in my life, I can't help but cringe, thinking of how many hurtful things he said to me that night as he lifted his body from mine.

I watched in confusion while my soon-to-be ex-fiancé grabbed his robe cinching the belt around his waist as he stood beside the bed, yelling "I knew it! I knew it!"

At first I had no idea why he was so angry, nor did I realize what I had done.

"Donny, what's gotten into you?"

"Are you kidding me?" He yelled, along with a few choice words that are too explicit to mention here. And even if I could mention them, it hurts to even think them. But I still hadn't a clue what he was talking about.

I was determined to find out why he'd ended our lovemaking so abruptly but the best way to do that was to remain as calm as possible.

I'd heard the elder Dr. Crane tell his radio patients over and over to approach problems calmly and rationally instead of initiating a big blow-up fight. However, I'm quite sure that his patient's problems didn't even come close to ours.

Clutching the edge of the sheet, I took a deep breath and spoke as calmly as possible.

"I'm not kidding, Donny. I don't understand why you're so bloody upset all of a sudden!"

"YOU DON'T, HUH?" He yelled, startling me with the harsh outburst

He was quiet for a moment before he began pacing the room.

"I knew it." He muttered again.

"Knew what?"

He turned to me with a look of anger and the fire in his eyes was so great that I actually recoiled.

"YOU WANT NILES? YOU'VE GOT HIM! I've known it all along! I've seen the way you look at him, the way he looks at you! The... flirty looks and the bedroom eyes!"

I sat up straighter, unable to believe what I was hearing.

"What? Donny, that's ridiculous! Dr. Crane and I never-."

"SAVE IT, DAPHNE!" He yelled, causing me to flinch. "Do you think I'm blind or something? I was hoping you would have the guts to tell me before the wedding but I never thought you'd do it this way. Yelling out the man's name while we're IN BED?"

I gasped in horror as the memory came back to me.

Oh God had I really...

The truth was that I had.

It sounds silly but I couldn't help myself. I thought about Niles all the time. No matter what I was doing, he was there; his handsome face invading my work, my dreams, my daily routines, and now even my most intimate moments.

And in those intimate moments, it's Niles that I'm with, not Donny.

Sadly, thinking of Niles is the only way I can cope. I couldn't tell Donny-the man I was supposed to love-that he wasn't pleasing me in bed. But that problem took care of itself in one rather humiliating moment.

I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. What could I possibly have said?

"Donny, I-."

"Just _get out_, Daphne!"

"What?"

"GET OUT! I wish I had never taken that jackass Niles Crane's divorce case! He should have been left to suffer the rest of his life with that shrew of a wife of his!"

His harsh words about the man I loved made me angry, but anything I would have said would have made me even guiltier.

"Donny!"

"If I hadn't taken Niles' case I wouldn't have ever met you and now I'm sorry I ever did! So pack your things and GET OUT!"

I swallowed hard, the hot tears stinging my eyes. I could feel my entire body trembling as rattled. It couldn't have been coincidence when our engagement photo fell from the wall and onto the hardwood floor, shattering into a million pieces.

Alone in the bedroom, I finally climbed out of bed and pulled on my robe. Donny's harsh words still hung heavy in the air as I jumped into the shower.

The warm water did little to soothe me, and I scrubbed my body as hard as I could, as though doing so would erase every trace of Donny from my skin.

And in doing so I was hoping to erase him from my life.


	2. Chapter 2

When I got out of the shower, I discovered that Donny was gone and I realized what I had to do. I quickly packed the few things that I had stashed away and returned to my home... my real home at the Elliot Bay Towers.

I cried all the way there but I wasn't sad about what I had done, about losing Donny or the way he had hurt me.I was crying because in accepting Donny's proposal, I'd lost any chance at happiness with the man I truly loved;

_Niles..._

I knew then that I couldn't let another moment pas without letting him know how I felt. So en route to the Elliot Bay Towers, I stopped by the store and bought a Valentine; but not just any Valentine. It was one that expressed my feelings for him so perfectly that I read it ten times in the store before buying it.

And each of those ten times my eyes filled with tears.

When I finally arrived back home, I rushed into my room and addressed the red envelope, sealing it with a gold heart shaped sticker... and a kiss.

I didn't sign the card with my name. I couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead I wrote in neat block print to assure that he wouldn't be able to guess who it was from, asking him to meet me at _Le Cigar Volant_ on Valentine's Day at 8pm.

I signed it:

"_With love from someone who loves you very much." _

Now all I had to do was mail it. But I couldn't put it in with our regular mail, so I rushed out of the condo and headed for the nearest mailbox, kissing the envelope one last time before sliding it through the tiny slot. Niles lived so close to us that I was sure that he'd get it the next day, February 13th. And now that the Valentine was on its way to the man I loved, I could continue with my plan.

The next day I was a complete basket case, imagining what he must have thought when he received the envelope in the mail.

What if he thought it was a prank? Would he even show up?

Thoughts like that made me cry and it was becoming harder and harder to convince the elder Dr. Crane and Mr. Crane that I was perfectly fine.

"Just a few wedding jitters." I lied. "I guess I'm just more emotional than usual these days."

"Well, if you're sure." Dr. Crane said.

I was so grateful for his concern that I hugged him. "I'll be fine."

After telling my boss and his father yet another lie, I stood in me room staring into my closet. I took so long in picking out the perfect dress that I nearly made myself late for the reservation! I knew that Niles would love anything I wore, it had to be perfect.

Finally I chose a pink silk dress that Roz insisted that I buy one afternoon when we were shopping downtown. It was far beyond what I could comfortably afford and I had no idea when or if I'd ever have a chance to wear it. It wasn't like men were lining up to date me.

Obviously I'd purchased the dress long before I even knew that Donny existed, so I suppose I could have worn it on one of our dates, but it just never felt right.

So here it sat in my closet; this beautiful pink silk dress with the pearl buttons that lined the front.

Until now...

I reached into the closet and removed the dress from the hanger, my heart beating rapidly as I slipped the dress over my body. When I glanced into the mirror I could hardly believe what I was seeing. The woman staring back at me was so stunningly beautiful that it couldn't possibly be me.

But in fact it was.

A glance at my watch made my heart rate increase and I rushed to spritz my brush with _Obsession_ (Niles' favorite perfume) and then ran the brush through my hair. But I still had one last thing to do.

I picked up the blue velvet box that I'd come to cherish and opened the lid. I'd opened it every single day for the past two months, but I was amazed at how the sight of what lay inside still made me smile.

It was a gift from Niles. He'd given it to me on Christmas Day to replace the gift that He'd brought over to our home on the night of his brother's Christmas party. He had no idea that I knew about that little incident-the fact that his original gift for me fell to the floor and crashed, courtesy of his father. It was a story of which I was sworn to secrecy.

But Niles didn't have to worry because when I opened the box, I was more stunned than I'd ever been.

For inside was the most beautiful gift I'd ever received.

It was a golden pendant of a little boy sitting on a crescent moon. My hand flew to my mouth and I began to cry. Poor Niles, the sweet man that he is, thought he'd upset me. Within seconds he had gathered me into his arms, stroking my back while I cried.

"I'm sorry, Daphne. I didn't mean to upset you. I-I wasn't sure what to get you, so if you don't like it-."

"No." I said, vehemently shaking my head. "I love it."

My fingers were trembling as I carefully removed the necklace and held it in my hand, unable to stop staring at it.

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Thank you so much, Dr. Crane."

He blushed, making his handsome face even more so and on impulse I threw my arms around him and quickly kissed his lips.

I think the kiss surprised me more than poor Dr Crane, but when I drew back he was staring at me with an adorable but stunned look on his face. For a moment neither of us said a word until finally he spoke.

"Y-you're welcome, Daphne. I'm so happy that you like it."

"Will you help me put it on, Dr. Crane?"

It was an innocent question, for I couldn't exactly reach around to fasten the clasp, but the way he stared at me, I was afraid that he'd forgotten how to breathe.

"W-what?"

"Help me put this on?"

I handed him the necklace and lifted my hair from the back of my neck. Now I couldn't be sure but I was almost positive that I heard him sniffing as he carefully fastened the clasp of my necklace. And I was fully aware of the way his soft hand brushed against my neck.

The thought that I had next stunned me even more so than the kiss had. What if he were to slowly lean over and trail kisses across the back of my neck, the way Morris Montgomery had in the romance novel I'd been reading?

God knows that Donny would never do such a romantic thing. But I had no right thinking such things of Niles. He was merely a friend after all.

However, at that moment, I felt something that I hadn't felt before and from that day foreword, I found myself thinking about him constantly. And the more I thought about him the more I realized what was happening.

I was falling in love.


	3. Chapter 3

And now, with my arms wrapped around him and the astonished look on his face, I realized that I loved him more than I thought possible. Niles was the most handsome man I'd ever seen.

And so, even though I'd gone to so much trouble to plan this wonderful dinner at a restaurant that I certainly couldn't afford (but one that he was extremely fond of), I realized that I wasn't really hungry after all.

So I leaned over and whispered seductively into his ear;

"Wanna skip dinner?"

At first I wasn't sure that he heard me. He stood perfectly still and I started to worry that this was all a dream; a wonderful dream of which I was going to wake up any second and find myself with Donny. I cringed at the thought, for that would be a nightmare.

"Niles, are you all right?"

"I love you, Daphne." He whispered hoarsely.

His sweet words made me gasp, and I had to fight back tears. It was the most wonderful thing anyone could have ever said to me. But his sudden nervousness also made me laugh.

"I love you, too. Now, we'd better get out of here before they throw us out for taking up a reservation that could be used for someone else."

I took his hand and attempted to lead him out of the restaurant. But he stopped me just before we reached the exit.

_Oh God, this is all a dream, please God, this has to be real... please..._

His hand cupped my cheek and tilted my face toward his. And then we were kissing. I melted against him as I had done before and planned on doing for the rest of my life. The tears that fell onto my cheeks were a mixture of happiness and relief that he loved me as much as I loved him. I don't know what I would have done if-

No... I refused to think about the "_what if's"._

When the kisses ended, I took his hand and led him out of the restaurant. He paused for only a moment, whispering something to the maître'd'.

I couldn't hear what he said but from the way the man smiled and nodded I knew that Niles good reputation at his favorite restaurant was safe.

Outside alone for the first time, we stood facing each other; our fingers entwined.

Now I was the one who was nervous.

"What should we do now?"

He swallowed hard, indicating that he was just as nervous as I was. He had a tendency to be nervous at times and now I realized just how often I'd seen him this way;

It happened nearly every time he'd come over to see his brother.

That shy grin, the laugh that wasn't quite steady. The way he'd always managed to find something about me to compliment, even if it wasn't necessary.

It all fell in place now like a soft rain; the kind that's a welcome sight. The kind of rain that makes everything more beautiful.

"Well... It doesn't seem right to go back to Frasier's." Niles said after a long silence. "Perhaps we should go to a place where we can be alone. What do you say?"

My heart filled with love for him again, as it had done so many times before. Only this time I was staring into his deep blue eyes.

"I say... _Yes_."

The ridiculous answer tumbled out of my mouth causing us both to laugh.

"Come on."

I took his hand and we walked to my car. But when we arrived I stopped and looked at him worriedly.

"Oh..."

We'd come in separate cars but after the blissful evening we'd shared-the one where we _didn't_ have dinner-I couldn't bear the thought of leaving him.

"We'll take my car." He said, placing a gentle kiss on my cheek.

The fact that he'd read my mind made me smile.

"I"ll drive you back to get your car later." He said, as though finishing the thought.

No words were spoken as we climbed into his car and drove off. I had no idea where we were headed, nor did I care.

I just wanted to be with him.

Minutes later we were pulling up in front of a very familiar building. I'd been here many times before but now I found that I was a bit nervous; as though everything was different.

And it was.

"This is all right, isn't it?"

I smiled at the unsteadiness of his voice and gave him a reassuring kiss.

"Of course it's all right."

"Well, okay. Because if it's not, I'd be more than happy to take you home."

My fingers brushed against his cheek.

"It's fine. I love being here. But where we are doesn't matter. I just want to be with you."

He kissed me then, a deep searing kiss. The kind of kiss that needed no words or explanation. And there was no one around to see us this time. We were completely and blissfully alone.

All too soon he drew back and when I gazed into his eyes, I could feel my lips burning with desire for him. His hand cupped my cheek and I practically melted against him.

"Let's go inside." He whispered.

I kissed him again. God, how I loved this man. He was everything I'd ever wanted. If only I'd seen it before.

But as we made our way into the Montana, I realized that nothing else mattered.


	4. Chapter 4

The elevator ride was painfully slow, despite the sweet kisses that we shared. It was only a matter of time before the doors would open to reveal Niles' floor, but when they did, I was grateful to find that we were alone.

Our fingers entwined, he led me out into the hallway where it seemed to take him forever to unlock the door. The way his hands trembled as he fumbled with the lock made me laugh.

He was like a lovesick schoolboy.

We'd barely gotten inside when Niles took off his coat, tie and his jacket and then dropped them onto the floor. The fact that he was so careless with his clothes astounded me, for he was always so particular. But my shock only lasted mere seconds.

Because in that moment, he was removing my coat, proving that even in the throws of passion he was a gentleman. Instead of casually tossing my coat aside, he gently laid it over a nearby chair, and then held my arm steady as I removed my shoes.

Before I could thank him, or even speak, his lips were on mine, and we were kissing passionately. Somehow we managed to continue kissing as he led me to the fainting couch and we sat down.

His hands ran up and down my back, and I couldn't resist running my fingers through his hair. Niles Crane was the most wonderful man on earth and I couldn't believe that he was mine.

Once more I feared that I would wake up from this wonderful dream, because it simply couldn't be real.

As if by eerie coincidence, he drew back, leaving me utterly confused.

"What's wrong?"

His expression turned to one of seriousness.

"What about Donny?"

I sighed deeply, hating the sound of that man's name.

"Niles, I don't-."

He took my hand and absently rubbed his thumb across my ring finger. I don't even think he realized that it was bare.

"Daphne, I love you. But we can't just ignore the fact that you and Donny-."

"There is no _Donny and I_-."

My words were so soft that he leaned foreword to hear me.

"What?"

I held up my hand, displaying my bare ring finger.

"Daphne, what happened?"

Suddenly I wished I had never said anything. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about the man that I no longer loved. And frankly I had come to dislike Donny...a lot.

What was I thinking, wanting to marry someone like that?

"It's nothing. Never mind."

He reached out and brushed away a tear that I didn't even know was there.

"What happened?"

I took a deep breath. He was bound to find out sooner or later and if we were going to have any kind of relationship whatsoever, I knew that I had to tell him the truth.

"Donny and I broke up. He left me."

I expected him to be elated about this news. Oh, I knew he wouldn't jump for joy, the way Donny did when he found out that he'd won a big case. But he had to be happy. For the woman he loved was now finally free. However, he didn't even crack a smile.

Instead his eyes were filled with pain and love for me.

"Oh my love, come here..."

Surprised, I could barely react before he drew me into his arms and gently stroked my back.

"I'm so sorry. I know it hurts..."

I hadn't expected this at all, and when I began to cry, it wasn't about losing Donny or being afraid that I'd be alone. It was about how someone could be so completely selfless that he'd comfort the woman he loved so much after her fiancé left her, even though it meant that he could have her all to himself.

"I'm not... I'm not upset. Not really. We were..."

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but I hate to see you hurting like this.

I just... can't believe he would do something like this to you!"

I blinked in surprise when Niles voice had a tinge of anger.

"It's all right, really. I-I..."

"Daphne, I know it's none of my business and I'm sorry for prying into your personal life, but please tell me what happened."

I looked away, feeling a rush of shame and humiliation. How could I possibly tell Niles that I had abruptly ended my relationship with Donny because I'd yelled out Niles name while Donny and I were making love?

What would he think of me?

When I looked into his eyes, I realized that it was a chance I had to take. I had to be honest with him, no matter what. I'd wanted this man for far too long to ruin it by making up some ridiculous story; one that he was bound to find out wasn't true.

"All right, I'll tell you." I said quietly. "I-I'm afraid that it had something to do with you."

He was clearly taken aback by this revelation. And I can't say that I blamed him.

Suddenly I wished I had found another way to break the news to him. But what was done was done.

"Me? I-I don't understand."

"Well... it was a few nights ago and Donny and I were..."

I could barely look at Niles, but when I did my heart warmed to see him watching me intently.

"Um... we were... in bed... only we weren't asleep..."

God what was wrong with me? I had slept with men before Donny and here I was skirting around the issue as though I was telling the story to my own child!

"We were... making love... and..."

My face burned with embarrassment and I didn't dare look at him. I could only imagine what he was thinking. But then I heard his soothing words.

"Daphne, it's okay. I'm here for you, always."

Tears slid down my cheeks. Why did Niles have to be so sweet?

I felt myself growing deeper and deeper in love with him and I felt as though I was drowning. But as it were, I didn't want to be saved.

"I was..."

I could hear his steady breathing, waiting patiently for me to continue.

"Well I couldn't stop thinking about you! I-I mean, everywhere I go, I see your face, hear your voice! I... I can hardly concentrate when your father does his exercises because I keep looking up at the door, hoping the doorbell will ring and it will be you on the other side! I-I see you in me dreams every night and at first it was nice but now it's almost haunting in a way. And when I was... with Donny that night... I guess I was..."

Oh God this was the most difficult thing I'd ever had to explain in my life.

He cleared his throat nervously and out of the corner of my eye I saw him run his hand through his hair.

"I..."

My voice broke and I covered my mouth with my hand. But then in one horrifying moment, I blurted it out:

"I... when we were... making love... I-I wanted it to be you!"


	5. Chapter 5

I didn't dare look at him and for a long, painful moment, neither of us spoke.

We sat, side by side on the fainting couch and we were so far apart that it was as though we were strangers instead of people who loved each other.

Tears slid down my cheeks and it was nearly impossible to hold in my sobs. I felt like a child who had just told her parents that she'd committed some horrible act.

"What happened?" Niles asked, startling me.

"What?"

"What happened, while you were..."

"Oh... I-I blurted out your name. B-but I didn't mean to, Niles I swear! I was just..."

Once more I looked away from him, as my sobs increased.

"I'm so sorry. I never..."

"Daphne, I-."

The phone rang then. Bloody hell, what a time for someone to call! It was as though I was being punished for telling the truth. Most likely it was his brother, wondering where I was.

It rang continuously and I could feel Niles turn to look at me.

"I'll get that."

I nodded, suppressing a sob and felt something soft in my hand. When I looked down, I realized I was holding his handkerchief. I didn't even realize he had given it to me.

He rose from the fainting couch, but not without touching my shoulder with his hand.

The warmth of his touch gave me hope.

"Niles Crane."

I couldn't hear the words but I knew it was Mel on the other end, screaming in an inaudible voice. I saw Niles cringe and most likely she was tearing into him yet again.

"No, I didn't get your message but I just got home and-."

"Um... yes, I realize that it is Valentine's Day but... um... something came up and- Mel, I don't have time for this right now. I'm very busy and- All right. I'll listen to your message if you're so insistent. But please believe me that-No... that's not fair and you know it! Fine... if that's the way you want it. We haven't seen eye to eye lately anyway so it was just a matter of time before... all right, fine. Goodbye Mel. Forever."

He turned to look at me, but I looked away.

I couldn't help feeling that I had intruded on a personal conversation and I knew that whatever she had said had hurt him deeply.

He crossed the living room to the table where his cordless phone sat and pushed the button on his answering machine. I tried not to listen but even when I rose from the fainting couch and went into the kitchen I could hear the message loud and clear;

_"Hello Niles, it's Mel. Do you know what day it is today? In case you haven't noticed, IT'S VALENTINE'S DAY! I was hoping you would call me and ask me out but you didn't. So I'll spend the night home, waiting for your apologies. I can't believe how insensitive you are!"_

That witch.

Suddenly a million horrible things went through my head and I was so angry that I wanted to storm over to her house and smack her through the wall.

But this wasn't about her. This was about Niles and I.

I walked back to the fainting couch and sat down, still unable to look at him. And then I felt him sit down beside me.

He sighed deeply and although I couldn't bear to see the hurt on his face, I had to do something. So I reached for his hand.

"That was... Mel." He said finally. "She...We're through."

"I'm sorry." I whispered. My words were sincere for I hated to see him hurting.

In response he squeezed my hand.

"So you and Donny were..."

I didn't want to talk about Donny anymore and I felt a tinge of anger that he was bringing it up yet again. But I knew that he was using it as a way to forget about his own pain.

"Yes." I said, in answer to his question. "And it was... Well... I didn't mean to say it out loud, but I... yelled your name."

He let out a deep sigh.

"I'm so sorry, Niles. I just... I love you so much and I've dreamt of... for so long... and..."

"Did he hurt you?"

I looked at him then, and saw the glistening of tears in his eyes; tears that I reached out and brushed away with my thumb.

"H-he... started yelling... screaming really. Said he wished he'd never taken your case because then he would have never met me!"

Another deep sigh.

"That jackass."

The words were mumbled, but I heard them just the same.

I was sobbing openly now, not caring that I looked ridiculous.

"I'm so sorry, Niles."

He rose from the fainting couch and went to lock the door. Then he returned to where I sat, sobbing into my hands.

"Come on."

I turned to face him.

"What?"

He offered me his hand and smiled.

"Just come on."

Still holding my hand, we walked around the living room turning out the lights. Then wordlessly he led me upstairs, pausing to kiss me on the banister.

"Niles, I-."

But still he didn't speak. Instead he led me to his bedroom. When we walked inside I looked around in awe, almost having forgotten how beautiful it is.

"Make yourself comfortable."

I sat in a plush chair and watched as he opened a drawer to his nightstand and took out some matches and then went around lighting every candle in the room. There were dozens of them and when he dimmed the lights, the room took on a romantic glow.

He returned to where I was sitting and coaxed me out of the chair.

"Is this all right? I don't want to appear too foreword, Daphne. Please know that I would never hurt you. I just want to make you happy."

My fingers trembled as I began to unbutton his shirt, kissing him with everything I had. When the top three buttons were unfastened, I kissed his neck sighing with pleasure, for my fantasy had finally come true. And it was better than I ever imagined.

I could hear his rapid breathing as he reached for the buttons on my dress. But his fingers had barely touched the fabric when he drew back.

"What's wrong?"

He looked me up and down and then smiled.

"You... You're stunningly beautiful."

More tears slid down my cheeks and I kissed him again. "Oh Niles..."

Soon our clothes were scattered on the floor and we were lying in his enormous bed. And at that moment, my dreams became reality.

We touched, explored and caressed, leaving no doubt as to how we felt about one another. My desire for him grew and grew and he pleased me the way no other man had. I held onto him, never wanting this heavenly moment to end.

And when the moment finally arrived, I didn't yell out his name, the way I had done before... with Donny.

Instead I burst into tears.

He stopped suddenly and moved away, brushing the tears from my cheek with his hand.

"Daphne... What's wrong my angel? I didn't... hurt you, did I?"

"No..." I whispered, still sobbing.

He took me into his arms, stroking my back while I cried. And I found it ironic that while we were two adults in the middle of a heated passion, he was holding me like a child, whispering soothing words into my ear.

"You could never hurt me, Niles. I'm just... happier than I ever imagined I could be."

He smiled and kissed me again, pushing the hair from my face.

"My love... my angel, my goddess... this is only the beginning."

We resumed our lovemaking, and when the passion died down, we lay in each other's arms, listening to the beating of each other's hearts.

Without warning, he flipped the switch on his bedroom light, brightening the room.

"Niles, what-."

I watched in confusion as he reached into his nightstand drawer and pulled out a familiar red envelope.

"So you did get my Valentine." I teased.

He took it out of the envelope with such care that one would have thought it was an important document. With a smile on my face, I watched as he opened the card and read the words, tears forming in his eyes.

"This is... so beautiful I can't stop reading it. In fact, I've read it so often in the past few days that I practically have it memorized. I just couldn't imagine who it was from. I mean... it couldn't be from Mel. She would never..."

I kissed him, again, gently taking the card and envelope from his hand. And then I reached over him to place them on the nightstand and turned out the light.

"I just wanted you to know how much I love you." I whispered.

"Thank you, Daphne. For this... for sending me such a beautiful Valentine... for the blissful evening at Cigar Volant, for..."

"You don't have to thank me, Niles. Why don't you just show me how much you love me?"

He kissed me again and we sank further into the sheets, continuing our passion. And my heart was eternally grateful for this man...

Niles Crane, my forever Valentine.

**THE END**


End file.
